Are They Dead Yet?

[MagicValley]

This week there is a heat wave, it will get up to 45F.  Seems like a good time to open up the hive to see if all the bees are dead yet.

The hornets robbed the honey this year, the hive was very light at winter's start.  So I expect that they're all dead by now.

Is 45F too cold to inspect the hive, on the slim chance some are still alive?  Any suggestions?

I need to place my order for new bees in February.  I'm planning on getting two packages (20,000) and one queen.

So I need to know if my present queen has starved, or not, before then.

Thanks.

[iddee]

I would not open them at 45 JUST to see if they are alive. If they are, what are you going to do. Add fondant? Add dry sugar? Or just close them back up?

In other words, don't open them for your benefit. If you can help them, open it. If not, don't.

[williams]

Do you see a lot of dead bees at entry? Seems a little cold to open box. If you tap on sides do you hear any noise? If there are any signs of life you may want to read up on different ways of feeding bees.
As for ordering new bees, you need to go ahead and place your order, If your hive is so weak you doubt its potential survival.  you can always combine the new and old bees or better yet. Have 2 hives, its twice the fun. As for the wasp and hornets, don't leave so much space in the hive for them to move in and keep the entry a little tighter for defense purposes.

Bills Bees    

[MagicValley]

There is about 3/4 of an inch of dead bees on the bottom screen.  I rapped on the side several times and can't hear any activity.

I didn't open it yet.  If the bees ARE all dead, what do I do to prepare the hive for the new bees?

[T Beek]

They may still be alive, just small and hungry.  Do have access to a stethascope?  45 is plenty warm to check, I've checked mine at 35 and sunny many times. Be ready with some dry sugar feed IF they are alive.

if dead;

Clean/scrape out the dead, check on "condition" of dead bees, location of cluster, any brood?....(will all become important observations for later occurrence's/comparisons ) close it up tight till you get your new bees, leave any comb/honey/pollen for them.  If they could, your new bees would thankyou for that ;). Its what I'd do.

thomas

[MagicValley]

Thank you T-Beek.  I lifted the lid and there is a ball of live bees about the size of two fists, right at the top of the upper hive body.  Next to them is the sugar cake I made, and the pollen patty. 

To make the sugar cake, wetted some sugar and poured it into a pie pan lined with wax paper.  Then I heated it in the oven to be almost dry.  When it cooled, I turned it out on to some paper, and placed it under the upper cover.  That was several months ago.  They do not seem to have eaten much of it.

Thanks again.

[T Beek]

Chances are good they will begin taking the fondant if they're right next to it, especially with a warm up.  What you describe is small, but I've had sftball sise clusters build up quick and thrive as long as they could get to their stores.  At least you now know that they have feed available, if temps continue to raise you'll have to give them more until the flowers start blooming by you.

thomas

[Yuleluder]

Just put your ear up to the colony and listen.  If you don't hear anything give the box a little tap and listen closely for some humming.  If you don't hear any humming pop the top and have a look.

I have popped the tops on my colonies at much lower temps then 45F.  Just don't go moving frames around and be quick.

[thegolfpsycho]

It climbed up to almost 40 here today.  Some bees were out having a look at things.  Didn't see any flying, but there were a couple dozen hanging around the vent holes in the inner covers.  Guess if the weather holds I will give them a heft tomorrow and get a guesstimation on stores.  Its been 10 or 12 degrees colder than normal this year, and got cold earlier than usual, so it is good to see signs of life.

[ArmucheeBee]

Next year, close your entrances down to help the bees combat the hornets.  after the flow I close down to help out with wax moths, yellow jackets, hornets, and possibly shb (but they still get in).  I use top and bottom screens for ventilation so I can afford to have small entrances like two bees wide.  If I see a bottleneck, I open it up a little.

[MagicValley]

Thanks for all the advice.

Since the number of live bees is so small, should I still consider getting a package or two of fresh bees this spring?  How do you add more bees without the new ones killing the queen?

April is a long way off, its still possible they will all die before then, I guess.

A company near me is a land restoration company.  They sell mixes of Idaho native wild plant seed to repair land damaged by fire, flood and other causes.  There is 8 acres of bare land, 1/4 mile from my house, it is waiting to be bought and developed into a neighborhood.  I was thinking of hand-seeding those 8 acres with the seed mix, to provide abundant pollen and nectar.  But the cost is too high, $2540.00 for the 8 acres.

So I've pretty much decided to buy enough to do 1/2 acre, and seed all along the farm irrigation ditch behind the row of property on my side of the street.  This long, narrow strip of land is behind everyone's back fence, so I don't think anyone will really mind.  The 1/2 acre of seed will cost me $160.00.

Here is a quote form the seed company:

The Greenfire mix in particular is a great blend to satisfy season long bloom periods.  I’ve listed the mix below with species-type attributes in support of this notion. 
There is certainly a component of ‘mutually beneficial’ interactions between these species.  This mix certainly has a successional component in which over time you see some species come in first and others come in later.  Also, I have this mix in inventory and can offer it as a very suitable native seed mix. 
The inclusion of additional blue flax and yarrow seed is to get more beneficial species on the ground without pushing the price too high.

Here is a list of the plant seed:
Basin Wildrye      8%
Bluebunch Wheatgrass   8%
Indian Ricegrass   8%
Sandberg Bluegrass   3%
Mountain Brome      2%
Idaho Fescue      12%
Sulfur Buckwheat   2%
Arrowleaf Balsamroot   5%
Munro Globemallow   1%
Rocky Mountain Penstemon 3%
Sunflower      4%
Blue Flax       9%
Basin Big Sagebrush   16%
Bitterbrush      9%
Yarrow         1%
Northern sweetvetch   5%
Rocky Mountain Bee plant 3%

Additional blue flax
Additional yarrow

[AllenF]

If you do go with packages you can set them up in new hives until you need to combine with a weak hive.   Newspaper combine.   Or you can always pull frames of brood to boost numbers.
Why do you want to plant so many native grasses instead of native wild flowers?
I notices bees flying when I got home from church, might just need to check mine.

[MagicValley]

Buying new woodenware for a second hive is not in the budget this year.  I'd like to get a honey harvest before investing in more hives.  Last year was a big zero.

I told the seed guy that I wanted a good mix for bees, that is what he recommended.  Besides, its a seed mix they have on hand, so I think its a matter of "everything looks like a nail when all you have is a hammer".

[AllenF]

Grasses do make pollen.  I was just thinking clover or something like, for nectar.

[MagicValley]

So how do you add new bees to an existing colony?

[AllenF]

Remove one of the queens and newspaper combine.   Keep some feed on the package side.

[T Beek]

Save your money, use it for more hives instead.  The amount you're  planting isn't gonna amount to much, and your bees may ignore it all for greener ;) pastures in someone elses backyard.  Unless you plant "several" acres its really not going to matter much.  Since last season was your first, you wouldn't be harvesting much honey from them anyway, best to wait until the 2nd year to harvest any honey.

Two hives is "always" better than one (and three is better than that) as it allows you to borrow from one another, if one is in trouble.

thomas

[AllenF]

Thomas is right.  Honey bees will tap about two million flowers and fly 50,000 miles to make one pound of honey.

[MagicValley]

Remove one of the queens and newspaper combine.   Keep some feed on the package side.

So I put a super on top of a single sheet of newspaper over the upper body, put some fondant and pollen patty on the newspaper, close it up and hope for the best?

[AllenF]

Or the can of syrup that comes with the package for food.  They will eat through the paper and by then the scent will be familiar.  They will combine fine.   Cut a few fine cuts in the newspaper also.  They will eat through in a day or two.  Prop the top a bit also to make a top entrance for them.